Travel Gear

We think trips are always a tad too short—wouldn’t it be nice to be on vacation forever? Whether you’re between jobs, degrees, apartments or relationships, transitions are the perfect time for a “gap year” abroad.

Live like a local by relocating to another city, or take a sip of wanderlust-infused water and bounce around the globe with nothing but a backpack. There are a million ways to travel once time constraints are removed…your one-way ticket may become the first of many new best friends!

Consider this: while the trip’s duration is longer, your baggage allowance is the same. Packing for an extended trip is like packing for living, not for traveling. Here’s a handy checklist so you bring only items that will either significantly enhance your travel experience or that you can’t find abroad (some of our favorite things are digital, BTW!). Now blast Africa by Toto and get packing—after all, sabbaticals are the new spring break.

Stay Safe

Insurance

Passport, camera, phone, jewelry…isn’t it funny how all of your most valuable possessions can fit into one bag? Protect your belongings and protect yourself with travel insurance—an absolute must. We love World Nomads insurance for longer trips since it’s geared towards backpackers. This is an affordable service that keeps you covered across multiple continents, with the option to further extend your coverage as needed. It covers everything from lost baggage to theft to adventure-related injuries.

Phone Case

iPhones and other American mobiles can be hard to come by in other countries, so protect your precious device with a waterproof, shockproof Lifeproof phone case. If you prefer a slimmer option, keep your phone or tablet from shattering with a barely-there Zagg screen protector.

Back It Up

What’s even more precious than your phone or camera? The photos they hold. If you care about these invaluable memories, stop what you’re doing and download Google Photos right now. No, it’s not just for Android devices. This app automatically syncs to your pre-existing photo library, uploading everything instantly to the cloud. Google Photos are quite smart—they use artificial intelligence to recognize faces and places…so if you’re shutter happy and somehow amass 40,000 photos over eight months, they’re all keyword searchable.

If you prefer shooting on a camera rather than on an iPhone keep these professional pics safe on the go with an SD to iPhone converter—this will enable you to easily add them to your Google Photos and hard drive.

Travel Light (and Smart)

Backpack

Backpacks and gap years are like peanut butter and jelly. A match made in heaven for good reason—you never know what terrain you’ll encounter, from rocky trails to cobblestone streets to wobbly boat. Leave the roller bag at home, instead of carrying the eBags Mother Lode Weekender Junior Backpack. It opens like a traditional suitcase and boasts thoughtful pockets to keep you organized while mobilized.

Packing Cubes

On an extended trip, your backpack is your closet! And you wouldn’t leave your clothes in a pile in the middle of your closet—you’d hang them, stow them and sort them, to some degree. Packing cubes are like drawers for your backpack, and we’re obsessed with these eBags Packing Cubes…an absolute must-have when unpacking and repacking countless times. You can even use one as a laundry bag!

Room to Move

Long trips are the perfect time to tap into the magic that is packing a bag within a bag. Like a Russian nesting doll, this Gobi Gear duffel condenses into almost nothing when empty, waiting inside your big bag to be of service. Let’s say you’re in Hanoi and want to journey to Ha Long Bay or Sapa for a few days—simply stowing your heavy bag at a hotel or hostel, then stuff the bare necessities into a smaller, lighter bag.

Power Up

Your Phone

Your phone is a lifeline to maps, music, reservation confirmations and so much more. Your dead phone is trash! A charging Mophie case will keep your phone alive and useful—versus plug-in backup batteries, this case is fairly incognito and particularly useful when snapping photos.

Your Mind

No matter where you are in the world, you are in control of your mood. Comfort food isn’t always available, but comfort tunes are! These wireless Jaybird headphones let you keep your phone stowed safe or plugged-in while listening to your favorite jams. And if you’re ever feeling particularly homesick or anxious, the Headspace meditation app has sessions just for travelers, guiding listeners through air travel and more.

Tech Out

Find Friends

Whether you’re traveling solo or with friends, the Tripr app will help you meet like-minded travelers from all over the world. Like a mash-up of Facebook, MeetUp, and TripAdvisor, Tripr syncs with social accounts and lets you enter details about upcoming and past trips. If someone is going to be in Buenos Aires when you are, Tripr alerts you and gives you the option to chat with them…without exchanging numbers or sensitive information.

Find a Bed

The HostelWorld website and app has thousands of properties, including both and affordable hotels—worldwide. It includes reviews from travelers with scores for each place’s cleanliness, sociability, location and more. This app rules for easy booking in advance or last-minute, requiring only the smallest of deposits to hold reservations.

Any trip is memorable, but a year abroad is absolutely life-changing. Succumb to your inner #wanderlove, gear up with eBags…and stay on the road as long as you like.

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Gap Year Packing Tips was last modified: July 10th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

College means ch-ch-ch-changes. The dorms are the front line of a whole new world—but not a scary one if you (or your loved one) is prepared. We’ve created a theoretical wish-list for college-bound students…not the teacher-mandated one from your high school guidance counselor, but a cool list with must-haves for the next-gen intellectual. From apps to gadgets, here’s how to kill it at college.

Learning 101

Study Session

Different classes, courses, and clubs all carry their own commitments. The transition from high school to college can be tricky in part due to the lack of schedule—what to do with the abundant free time? Avoid rookie mistakes (ie: cramming for midterms) by making lists and setting aside study sessions via Remember the Milk, a time management, and to-do list app that syncs across all your devices.

Lecture Time

Taking handwritten notes is proven to boost memory and learning ability. And once in a blue moon, a professor will have a no-laptops policy for their lectures. We suggest a new-age approach to an old-school, proven idea. The Moleskine Smart Writing Set is like an iPad disguised as a paper notebook. Transcribe notes during class in the paper tablet, and it will automatically capture each pen stroke and transfer it to a screen in real time, allowing users to edit, organize and share their scribbles.

Review

It wouldn’t be college without textbooks. While some of your required reading may be available online, the bulk of it is not. Enter I.R.I.S.’s Air Pen: the highlighter of the future! Drag this ingenious smart pen over selected passages, and the text will instantly appear on your PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices—it can even translate the text into 55 languages! This is fantastic for studying on the go; instead of dragging a book around town, simply scan the important snippets into your iPhone.

Staying Focused

Just Say No

It’s hard to finish a paper when your social media accounts are calling—but the internet is also a necessity for 99% of school assignments. Luckily there’s SelfControl, an aptly named website and app that enables you to block specific websites for any period of time. This is also a nice carrot-on-the-stick trick for studying; use BuzzFeed or Netflix as the reward for time well spent.

Time Is of the Essence

On a similar note, we strongly suggest wearing a watch, and we’re currently obsessed with Obaku’s watch design. Nowadays, if we want to know the time, we check our phone…and then get sucked into the notification vortex. A wrist watch is also important for maintaining a good test-taking pace during exams since wall clocks aren’t always a sure thing—and whipping out an iPhone is typically verboten.

Catching Some Zs

Distraction-Free Dreaming

You can sleep when you graduate (kidding). Tune out study-time distractions or dorm-room snorers with Bose noise-cancelling headphones. Speaking as a recent college grad, noise-cancelling headphones are positively, absolutely necessary to survive and thrive in the dorms.

Nap: Real talk: how to be a good napper is one of the most important skills you’ll learn in college—it’s a critical subset of time management, and you can literally do it in your sleep! The Power Nap App helps students become A+ nappers by helping to train them to catch a few Zs between classes to boost alertness and productivity.

Getting Social

Snap

Create memories that double as dorm room decor! The Fuji Instax Instant Camera has all the instant gratification of an old-school Polaroid camera—but smaller, faster and available in trendy pastel hues. We love the over-exposed look these snaps have once developed, giving photos a 1970s vibe and removing facial blemishes. In an ever-digitizing world, a physical photo feels even more special.

Keeping It 100

Pro tip: Wrangle all of these essentials with a hip, all-purpose backpack! Herschel’s Little America boasts pin-striped, padded pockets for your phone and a larger one for your laptop and notebooks.

We hope this virtual orientation was helpful for students plugging into their first year of college. And once students finish their freshman year, doors open for study abroad opportunities…check in next Thursday for more on that! With a positive attitude and open mind, there’s so much to learn—in the classroom, in the dorms and beyond.

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

College Checklist: Off to the Dorms was last modified: July 5th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

What Is It?

Oasis is an app and website that offers upscale property rentals—with hotel-inspired perks such as an on-demand local concierge, booking assistance, room cleaning services and city guides. Essentially, Oasis is like Airbnb for the elite, listing luxury apartments and residences that include members-only access to local lifestyle clubs and VIP treatment at the chicest spots in town. If you want to go all-out on an unforgettable vacation, Oasis may just be your golden ticket.

The founders of Oasis believe that being adventurous doesn’t have to mean sacrificing service. From Santiago to Austin, Oasis specializes in curated cultural adventures, combining homes with five-star hospitality.

How Does It Work?

First things first: choose a city. Keeping within its quality before quantity mantra, Oasis is live in just 21 destinations around the globe. Each of these places is somewhere we don’t just want to visit—they’re havens we’re tempted to permanently relocate to, from San Francisco to Barcelona.

Booking through the app is simple and straightforward. It functions like most other travel websites, letting you enter details about your destination and dates, helping you sift through options, and enabling hassle-free booking—with the option to call or chat a travel agent as you go through the process.

Where Oasis shines is its exclusive, exquisite properties and their benefits. Often referred to as “Airbnb for Celebrities,” this app boasts villas, chalets and bachelor pads not listed anywhere else. Fawn over a Buenos Aires penthouse with a discotheque and five bedrooms. Or this seven-bedroom mansion off the coast of Colombia isn’t too shabby for an escape to tranquil Cartagena.

A full house to yourself also means full amenities—massive fridge, washer, and dryer, etc. It’s just like being at home, except that you have an on-call maid ready with fresh linens and toiletries. If you do have a butler at home, simply proceed as usual.

Whether you qualify as a “baller” at home is a moot point—travel through Oasis and you’ll get access to (quite bougie) members-only clubs. In addition to accessing your host’s memberships, guests get exclusive access to gyms and spas, discounts at boutiques, and VIP treatment at restaurants and bars. Compliments of their partnerships with STK, Barry’s Bootcamp, Green Monkey Yoga, GlamSquad and other companies that cater to the rich and famous.

Our takeaway:life is too short to not live like a rockstar during your precious PTO.

Our Favorite Part

Let’s just say that an infinity pool overlooking the sea isn’t in your vacation budget this year. Don’t fret, there are still a couple of ways Oasis can help you live fabulously. One favorite money-saving tactic is to switch hotels during your trip. This is a fun way to experience various swimming pools and breakfast buffets, but it also proposes a compromise. Rather than stay in a penthouse all week, save the Oasis property for a final hurrah at the end of your vacation. Leave on a high note, feeling perfectly pampered.

Oasis Collections also boasts free—and very handy—guides to cities around the globe. These aren’t your average Rick Steves books either. These are written by trendy locals and connoisseurs of the finer things in life. No matter how Oasis fits into your plans, we guarantee it will help expand your travel palette.

Get It Now:

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Want to Travel like a Celebrity? Use This App. was last modified: June 29th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

While freedom has several connotations, this guide touches them all. No money? No problem. Fortunately for you, some of the best things in life are free. So, pack your bags and get ready to save this summer, embracing wanderlust every step of the way.

Plan. Plan. Plan.

A little bit of planning goes a long way. We know you’ve heard it before, but make sure you book significant items in advance—such as airplane tickets, or anything else that could majorly impact your schedule. Oftentimes, a specific hotel or activity is the motivation for traveling, whether it’s a safari through the Maasai Mara, a hot air balloon ride above Bagan, or a night at the iconic Chateau Marmont—book these adventures in advance to get the best deals.

Work with a virtual travel agent—for free—using apps like Pana. Pana connects to your email and pieces together all of your bookings by generating a collaborative itinerary that reflects real-time updates. It’s like having a personal assistant in your pocket AND it can even check you into your flights automatically. Score.

Take Advantage

Improve your en route experience by taking advantage of airports’ perks. If you’re in Singapore, you may stumble across a butterfly garden or movie theater as you transfer terminals. Regardless of where in the world you land, open up the Flio global airport app—it alleviates travel pains by combining several airport apps into one, from terminal maps to flight updates to restaurant waiting times. Flio also offers exclusive deals on airport food and VIP lounges, but our favorite feature is that it has hundreds of passwords for free public internet servers and automatically populates WiFi credentials. Once you’re within WiFi signal, Flio will prompt you to connect by simply tapping one button.

Flio also offers exclusive deals on airport food and VIP lounges, but our favorite feature is that it has hundreds of passwords for free public internet servers and automatically populates WiFi credentials. Once you’re within WiFi signal, Flio will prompt you to connect by simply tapping one button.

Internet Solutions

The aptly named Free WiFi app has locations and passwords to thousands of internet connections in 50 countries and counting. But what if a restaurant (or entire city) doesn’t have WiFi? Enter the SkyRoam Global Hotspot, a device perfect for dire or everyday circumstances. The SkyRoam lets you connect to the interwebs from anywhere inEurope, North America, South America, Asia, Africa or Australia.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Dropped your phone? It happens. Use your phone freely with a Zagg screen protector. It’s made of fortified tempered glass and delivers unprecedented scratch protection. If you’re planning a particularly rugged adventure, go a step further and invest in phone insurance, easily purchased through your carrier.

Free Yourself

In our humble opinion, the best dance moves require you to twist and shout. Free yourself from wires and easily connect your phone toWirelessHeadphones. Trust us, it’s a good move.

Exploring new territory? Listen to a PocketGuide while keeping your phone zipped in a safe pocket, or free to snap pictures.

Take Control

Rent a car because when you’re in the driver seat, you’ll have complete freedom to call all the shots on your getaway. Plus, you can cover more ground on the cheap by using an app like Turo to find affordable, reliable cars. Turo lets you pick from over 800 models—will you be zooming through Zion? Maybe a Mustang fits the bill. Cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway? A Maserati Ghibli is only $108 per day.

Expert tip: if you’d like to offset your travel costs, consider using Turo to rent out your vehicle while you’re away.

Free Accommodations

For all the outgoing travelers out there, consider sleeping on someone’s couch for free. The Couchsurfer app and website help travelers save money, make friends, and includes reviews about verified hosts for safety. Another cheap alternative is to book a room through HostelWorld, where private rooms start at $20 per night.

As you travel near and far, we hope this roundup will help you live freely this summer and all year long. Magic happens when freedom and travel collide.

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Brilliant Ways to Save on Summer Travel was last modified: June 14th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

TripHappy helps travelers figure out where to go, where to stay, and what to do in hundreds of cities worldwide. It boasts the expertise of a travel agent while putting the traveler in the driver’s seat, enabling independent booking that’s keen to insider knowledge.

TripHappy accesses and combines over 250,000 individual travel guides into one super-helpful website. The founder realized there are plenty of city-specific guides and resources, but not one place that would help backpackers plan an adventure through multiple cities and countries. TripHappy’s wealth of information coupled with its priceless simplicity certainly makes us smile.

How Does It Work?

Let’s just say you want to visit Germany. For starters, you may head to Google—or even a real life bookstore—and find an overabundance of guides about everything from schnitzel to Neuschwanstein. Save your sanity and search for a city within TripHappy, which simplifies all existing knowledge about a town into a six-part score. Berlin’s page boasts a “100%” at the top, meaning TripHappy considers it a can’t-miss metropolis. While the overall score is geared towards backpackers, all types of travelers benefit from the score breakdown: nightlife, culture, nature, and food (Berlin scores an 87/100… all thanks to Currywurst). The app also provides a recommended number of nights to stay in a city.

The app offers suggestions for things to do, places to eat, weather reports, transportation timetables, places to sleep…the list goes on and on! This website is literally a one-stop-shop. It even gets into the weeds of trip planning, offering example budgets. There’s a “cost of living” section that breaks down a daily, weekly, and monthly budget including costs of meals, drinks, public transportation, movie tickets and more.

If you like what you see, you can add the city to your itinerary with the simple “+ Add to Trip” button. Once you’ve added a few cities, you can rearrange your itinerary based on suggestions and logistics. When you’re destination-ready, book accommodations and tours directly through the app then email or print your itinerary for safe keeping!

Our Favorite Part:

TripHappy takes all their detailed information about one metropolis and ties it into the bigger picture: how long you should stay there, plus where else you should go. There are two sections that speak to this: “where to go next” spotlights six city guides—from Amsterdam to Hamburg—along with a percentage of travelers that traveled there after their trip to Berlin. Another section links to “Trips that went through Berlin” with real people’s itineraries that included Berlin in their larger adventure.

TripHappy truly enables hassle-free travel experiences for all. From analyzing guides around the world and using data for discovery, the results decidedly deliver a positive product.

It’s still new to the market, so, for now, head to its mobile or desktop website when you’re ready to plan a trip. You’ll be a TripHappy pro by the time the mobile apps are released.

Get It Now:

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Build Your Dream Trip with This App was last modified: June 7th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

They say hindsight is 20/20—and in hindsight, we wish we had traveled more last summer. Blue skies and balmy breezes inspire spontaneity, bringing out the best in people and places. This year, we’ve rounded up our favorite tech gadgets and travel apps…use them to make the most of the sweetest season of the year.

Cure the Mondays

Did you know: the best airfare deals are typically found between Monday and Wednesday? Scoring a cheap flight is the ultimate cure for the Monday blues—the Hopper app compares travel dates and deals, finding the absolute cheapest weekend to travel to Cabo San Lucas (while also comparing fares to Puerto Vallarta and other similar destinations.

Sidestep Sameness

Ditch your usual routine by booking a flight instead of a yoga class! If you’re open minded about where you’re going, the Fareness app and website are wonderful for scoring last-minute round-trip weekend deals. Fareness compares weekend airfares; for example, flying from Chicago to New Orleans for four days would be only $93 this weekend, which is 67% cheaper than taking the same trip in July.

Preparefor takeoff

Whether your trip was planned six months or six seconds ago, use the PackPoint app to ensure you pack accordingly. PackPoint asks where and when you’re traveling, whether the trip is for business or for leisure, and what type of activities you’ll be doing—from camping to working out to swimming. The app syncs with the local weather report and generates a packing list, which you can check off and share with others.

Head for the Hills

Hot Tip: Mountain destinations like Vail and Whistler get lots of attention during the winter, but really shine in the summertime (pun intended) while also being light on humidity and bugs.

Before you head for the hills, make sure you have the All Trails app to navigate the great outdoors, and the Spotify and Dash Radio apps for campsite tunes to play on your all-weather Nyne speakers. Dash Radio is ideal for effortless listening since the free (and ad-free!) stations are curated by top musicians and DJs—we love the Backyard BBQ and 70’s stations for summer nights.

Maximize Sunlight

Head north! In Los Angeles the sun sets at 8:00 PM, versus in Stockholm where it sets closer to midnight—so many more hours for activities! Scandinavia’s cool cousin Iceland is also massively popular, consistently topping “best places to travel” lists. If you’re only in Iceland for a weekend, head to the Blue Lagoon and explore Reykjavik via the Hreyfill App, Iceland’s version of Uber. If you have a few more days, we recommend renting a car, using MAPS.ME for offline navigation, and this guide to find the best hidden hot springs.

Embrace the Staycay

One of the best parts about traveling is making new friends—and friendships become even sweeter when you get to show them around your home! Use the TimeOut app to see what’s hip and happening in your city. Maybe’s there’s a jazz fest at the waterfront, a farmer’s market downtown, or a drive-in screening of Dirty Dancing. If you’re heading to a movie or a concert, stay comfortable with a Fatboy lounge chair (essentially a ginormous inflatable lounge chair) or a Travel Chair (the classic foldable stool).

Winter is for hibernating—summer is for exploring. Make the most of the longer days by spending them somewhere new. Whether your happy place is domestic or international, a boutique hotel or a cabin, a beach or a mountain. . . it’s currently drenched Vitamin D, and awaiting your arrival.

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

12 Travel Apps + Accessories for a Brighter Summer was last modified: May 31st, 2017 by Annie Edwards

What Is It?

I just returned from Cuba—and without MAPS.ME, I’d probably still be there. With the recent lift in travel restrictions, now is the perfect time to hop in a time machine and visit this vibrant, one-of-a-kind country. Cuba is brimming with old-school charm, from 1950s Cadillacs to horse-drawn carriages to a complete lack of wi-fi.

While traveling without internet may sound ludicrous (and potentially dangerous), we couldn’t have been happier to disconnect from our cellular service and plug into a society where people actually make eye contact and say hello to passers-by. Better still: we were saved from any offline-related chaos by MAPS.ME, which uses GPS rather than data to keep travelers on track.

How Does It Work?

While there are a lot of navigation apps out there, MAPS.ME is the only one that boasts 100% functionality offline. Most “offline” maps at least require an internet connection for searching and saving spots and following step-by-step navigation directions.

But in Cuba, we only got internet once—getting access requires buying a Nauta card, and each $2 card will get you an hour of muy lento internet in a designated hot spot. MAPS.ME was a lifesaver! We could check out our guidebook anytime without internet access, leaving us free to explore places like Casa de la Música or Museo Histórico Guanabacoa without stopping to source directions.

Another Cuba travel tip: If you want to make the most your trip, we highly suggest renting a car. This will save you time and money and give you access to off-the-beaten-path beaches and hamlets. We drove from Havana to Viñales to Trinidad to Varadero in one week, but we wouldn’t have made it out of central Havana if it weren’t for this app.

The app routed us onto highways, then and rerouted us when we inevitably missed our turns. Its offline functionality was incredible; MAPS.ME even kind of shouts the directions, making us feel like real Cubanos! While the app brought a feeling of familiarity to our trip, it’s good to note that there are lots of horses and pedestrians on Cuban roads, but virtually no street lights—so drive cautiously, and consider limiting most of your travel to daylight hours.

Not going to Cuba? No problema. MAPS.ME works worldwide—I’m such a fan that now I’ve been using it in Los Angeles instead of Google Maps. MAPS.ME is ridiculously accurate, with super-detailed maps that include restaurants, bars, parks and other places of interest. Even when the city melts into the wilderness, MAPS.ME shows tiny walking paths and bike tracks. Bonus: the app’s reliance on GPS instead of data means I’m about to score some savings on my next Verizon bill.

Our Favorite Part

MAPS.ME makes life so much easier, no strings attached. That’s right: it’s free, and it doesn’t suck your battery life! Also: in Cuba, it’s common to stay in casa particulares rather than hotels, and our cab drivers always had problems getting us home. There are thousands of casas all over Cuba—and, while we never needed to book in advance, we did need to help guide our drivers in the right direction. MAPS.ME to the rescue…again.

From back roads to secret beaches, MAPS.ME always had our back. Which was lucky, considering we didn’t actually have a backup plan. Cuba is one of the few countries where foreigners can’t buy mobile phones or SIM cards, so without this app, we would have been seriously stranded.

The app eliminated all navigation worries so we could focus on soaking up Cuba’s good vibes and taking zillions of photographs. We love MAPS.ME almost as much as we love Cuba—and the two together are a serious match made in heaven.

Get It Now

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Travel App of the Week: Maps.Me was last modified: May 29th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

What Is It?

Created by a group of friends in response to the 2015 Paris terror attacks, My Panda aids locals and travelers in the avoidance and escape of similar events. The app works in 30 cities and counting—from LA to Paris to Rio and beyond—to keep you and your loved ones safe in case of emergency. In addition to crisis-mode comfort, the app boasts a safety barometer so you can avoid high-threat areas altogether.

How Does It Work?

My Panda uses crowd-sourced, real-time data from its security platform to alert users of violence or terrorism in their vicinity. The app is both proactive and reactive, using algorithms to predict attacks as well as innovative technologies to assist in case of emergency. Should potential dangers appear on the event horizon, My Panda will alert authorities and help app users seek shelter.

My Panda combines safety features from other maps into one place, helping those under threat check a number of stay-safe boxes in one fell swoop. Rather than searching for escape directions on Google Maps, sourcing news on Twitter, and checking in as “safe” on Facebook, users can perform all of these tasks—and more—within My Panda.

Our Favorite Part:

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a seedy part of town and a hipster neighborhood, and major metropolitan areas can transform from safe to sketchy in the space of one block. Our favorite part about My Panda is that it functions as a safety barometer, providing a heat map of the city correlating to its level of safeness. Check the map and then explore.

As Dr. Dre once said, you can’t put a price on peace of mind. Listen to the doctor and put safety first when you hit the road. Want more information about staying safe while abroad? Visit travel.state.gov.

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Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Connected Travel Thursday: App of the Week: My Panda was last modified: May 18th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

Whether you like it or not, summer is on the horizon. It’s time to trade your skis for your tent and say hello to the long road ahead! Use this guide filled with outdoor apps to prep for an unforgettable camping season!

Preparation

The driver of change in the skiing-to-camping equation is the sun. The weather report is your best friend year-round, helping you find the best pow-pow or sunniest campsite. If you’re in the mountains or on an island, conditions change at a moment’s notice—and different climates occur within miles of each other. Download the Dark Sky weather app, the most accurate source of hyperlocal weather data. This app uses GPS to pinpoint your exact forecast down to the minute, noting things like “light rain will begin in 23 minutes.” When you seek greatness in the great outdoors, this minute-by-minute, mile-by-mile information is critical.

Set Destination

If only there were a travel agent for campsites…oh wait, there’s Oh, Ranger! Park Finder. This app has a database filled with thousands of campgrounds in America’s National Parks, State Parks, National Forests, wildlife refuges and many more federal lands. Each listing includes details about over twenty different types of activities from kayaking to bird watching and lets you toggle search results based on what you want to do.

Hit The Road

Road trip bound? Better buckle up and turn on your Papago camera. Papago offers a range car electronics to keep you safe on the road, recording your journey for both sentimental and practical reasons. Record everything from zooming down the Pacific Coast Highway or use the cameras as parking surveillance while you sleep in your tent.

Don’t say you weren’t warned. Papago also offers fatigue warning, motion detection, and reminds you to turn on your headlights!

Arrive

Want to feel as if you have Mother Nature all to yourself? Meet ViewRanger. An app that works where city-slickers’ mobile coverage can’t reach. If you stumble upon a special tree, rope together a tree swing or hammock with this handy Knots 3D app—it’s like a modern-day Boy Scout manual. Don’t forget to look up, keeping a keen eye for feathered friends with the Audubon Bird Guide.

Eat

All of that traveling probably worked up an appetite. If you’re only spending a weekend in the wilderness, a soft-sided cooler will suffice—and will be easier to toss over your shoulder. But if you have a week-long trip in mind, toss your salad into a hard-sided cooler. The Mammouth is touted as “the best cooler since the Ice Age,” keeping ice frozen for 7-10 days. Thanks to its air flow barriers, this cooler will keep nosey stouts out of your grub. And if you have a bear of an appetite, scavenge for more food—using the Wild Edibles app to ensure you don’t consume any poison apples.

Nightly Entertainment

Sit back, relax and gaze at the stars using the Star Walk app! It was created to help you see shapes far beyond the usual O’Ryan and Big Dipper suspects. While most campsites are far from metropolitan light pollution, hardcore stargazers should check out this list of International Dark Sky Parks. An IDA Dark Sky Park is a land “possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment”.

Rest

When it’s finally time to sleep beneath the stars, it’s only fitting that you dress for the occasion. Choose a sleeping bag that transforms you into Chewbacca or Darth Vader! Selk’bag’s Star Wars-themed sleeping bags are designed in the human form with arm and leg sleeves for optimal comfort and warmth.

Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

From Ski Season to Camping Season was last modified: May 9th, 2017 by Annie Edwards

What Is It?

Why pay for a full night when all you really need is a catnap and perhaps a shower? As You Stay operates on one simple principle: pay for a room only when you’re using it. The app lets you book hotel rooms by the hour, crafting your perfect hotel time within the context of your travel plans.

As You Stay is perfect for travelers that fly often, and fly by the seat of their pants. The app specializes in last-minute bookings (book up to four days in advance) and short stays (between one hour and four days). It’s convenient, cost-efficient and takes a customer-first approach to hotel bookings.

How Does It Work?

As You Stay markets itself as a solution for travelers with long layovers, business travelers, groups that need a place to congregate, or on-the-go individuals. In the age of 70-hour workweeks and super-commutes, some companies are ditching overnight trips in favor of a jam-packed day. In this case, a room available for day use is a must.

Ready to find a room? As per usual, you’ll enter the number of guests and desired location—but with a new twist. This app allows you to enter your exact check-in and check-out time. Long are the days with 3 PM check-ins and 11 AM check-outs. Kiss those rigid regulations goodbye, along with fees for arriving early or leaving late. As You Stay won’t cramp your style as they wish for you to come and go as you please.

Like most other apps, you can sort by location, price or rating. But given the time-crunch nature of this booking, we suggest honing in on its location. When you’re only in a city for 18 hours, time is of the essence. Enter your primary destination—perhaps a convention center or tourist attraction—and sort by distance and utilize the map tool. You can also opt to use GPS to see what rooms are available right now closest to your precise location.

As You Stay is available in a dozen cities so far: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Newark Airport, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Miami, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami Beach and Grapevine with more coming soon. The app only debuted this year, so we’ll cut its short list some slack. Given the current offerings, business travelers seem to be the ideal As You Stay customer. But we also wanted to give you globetrotters a heads-up that this is an app to keep in mind next for all your future travel endeavors. We’re optimistic that it will expand internationally, providing a reprieve to travelers with 12-hour layovers and total travel times reaching 37 hours.

Insider tips: while As You Stay boasts pro-rated reservations, it’s always a good idea to research the hotel’s nightly rate. In some instances, you may save only $20 by reserving the room for five hours versus a whole day. Regardless of your rate, As You Stay boasts that the more you stay, the less you pay. Meaning that within the As You Stay app, you’ll automatically collect free hours to apply to your next room or gift them to a friend. Want to save $25 off your first booking? Use the promo code ANNIEE4746.

Our Favorite Part:

Score guest-only access for locals-only rates.

As You Stay lets you live the resort life while on a Holiday Inn budget. Rent a room for a few hours, and gain an all-access pass to a resort’s pool and amenities. This app is especially wonderful for a “stay-cation,” scoring you a fabulous afternoon by the pool for only a fraction of the hotel’s nightly rate. We’re all about As You Stay’s practical benefits—namely sleeping and showering—but we’re even bigger fans of booking for the swimming pool.

There’s a good chance that this app could save your sanity, especially if you’ve been logging enough miles to score platinum status with an airline. A cool pillow after a red-eye is truly priceless, but As You Stay will still ensure you score a good price. This app feels a bit like the hotel of the future and reflects a concept we hope catches on across the travel industry: catering to the choice of the consumer. Check-in and chill-out with no limits.

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Annie’s based in Los Angeles but hails from Portland, Oregon. Sort of. She moved to six states by the time she reached middle school, and continues to move around the US and abroad – call her a nomad, but she prefers “Location ADHD.” After studying abroad in New Zealand, Annie circled the globe, graduated from USC, and circled the world once again. For one year she lived out of a backpack everywhere from The Philippines to Nepal to Slovenia to Norway. She’s a curry connoisseur and passionate explorer, taking the road less traveled, the “trail” covered in vines and swarmed in exotic bugs. Foreign lands feel like home, and Annie loves encouraging more and more people to utilize their passports and experience a new culture.

Connected Travel Thursday / App of the Week: As You Stay was last modified: May 3rd, 2017 by Annie Edwards

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